Getting ready for my first date with Nate was probably one of the most stressful moments in my life. Here I am with this belly that is so big I am almost to the point where I can’t see my toes, trying to find a cute outfit to wear, and on the verge of tears because I just LOOK SO PREGNANT.

My mom came in and gave me a speech (she had probably been preparing all day when she found out I was going out on a date). “Brooklyn, you need to be straightforward with him and lay everything on the table, he CANNOT play games! You are about to have a baby.” This speech went on for the entire duration of me going through outfit after outfit when I finally lost it: “Why am I even going on this date?!!”

Ya’ll I literally almost didn’t even go. But I did. I finally got in my car, now even puffier than I already was because I had been crying.

We went to Veterans Memorial Arena, downtown, to the PBR (or professional bull riding for all of you who have no clue what that is, like me). Nate picked me up at the St. Johns Town center, and then we drove to downtown.

 I’ll never forget what he was wearing. Blue jeans, a TIGHT lulu lemon light blue striped long sleeve shirt, cowboy boots, AND a gold chain necklace with a cross on it (so I knew he wasn’t lying about being a baseball player). As I was waddling up to greet him, two thoughts went through my mind: “Ok, so he needs a little style help, but that’s ok, we can work on that.” And, “How the heck am I supposed to hug him? Do I side hug because I have this humongous thing attached to me or do I just go for the full frontal and PRAY his arms are long enough to reach around me?”

It was too late to decide because his arms were already around me (barely) and at that moment I knew there was something special about this guy. There were so many points throughout the night where I was just blown away at Nate. He wasn’t embarrassed of me and his eyes were on my belly and me the entire time. I’ll never forget we were in line at the concession stand getting food (you know big girl was hungry and just trying to play it cool) and when he paid the lady at the cash register she said, “Congratulations, ya’ll are such a cute couple”.

 I swear I peed myself a little. And guess what he said:

“Thank you!”

What? This guy just said thank you? And with a smile? I thought he was going to be over this date real quick. We hadn’t even been out together for two hours and people were already congratulating us on the baby and telling us it was going to be a cute kid. BUT He stayed, and he owned up to every comment and every smile and took it in stride. I was truly blown away. The night was one I will never forget.

When we were on the way back to my car, I did what my mom said and laid everything out there. I told him the story of how I got pregnant and about Dawson’s biological father. I told him Dawson was my priority and that I didn’t want to rush things but he needed to figure out what we were going to be and not play games (first date). I remember him being silent for what felt like forever and I’ll never forget what he said:

“I don’t know where this is going, but I do know I like you and I like being with you. I wasn’t going to NOT take a chance on you just because you were pregnant”.

And I am so thankful he did. 

It was the craziest, best first date of my life. We definitely had our awkward moments, laughable moments, and moments where I wasn’t sure if it was going to work. Little did I know that these moments I would one day get to share with my son and say, “This is how I met your daddy.”